3-19-09

Psalm 98:4-8 (The Message)
4 Shout your praises to God, everybody! Let loose and sing! Strike up the band! 5 Round up an orchestra to play for God, Add on a hundred-voice choir. 6 Feature trumpets and big trombones, Fill the air with praises to King God. 7 Let the sea and its fish give a round of applause, With everything living on earth joining in. 8 Let ocean breakers call out, "Encore!" And mountains harmonize the finale—

As always I just love Psalms! I like this version because it says "let loose and sing!" Be free with your praises to God. Don't worry about other people. Just show your love for Him. I also love how in Verse 8 it says to "let ocean breakers call out, "Encore!" You know how we can holler at a concert and want an encore. The word encore means: 1: a demand for repetition or reappearance made by an audience; 2a: a reappearance or additional performance demanded by an audience b: a second achievement especially that surpasses the first. Now that is good - second achievement surpassing the first! Our Lord is definitely worth all that and more! Let us rejoice and help set up the Kingdom of Christ by bringing souls into the Kingdom. Remember that movie "It's a Wonderful Life!" They said "every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings." Well every time a soul comes into the Kingdom, we should be resounding unequivocal praises. Our voices, bells, trumpets - I love that "round up an orchestra to play for God." All different levels of creatures praising Jesus - our Lord and our Savior.

The angels have been called to worship but even the sea, its fullness and all of us who inhabit the earth are to rejoice before Him. Let us burst forth with joyous sounds and do it with great zeal for He is most worthy of all our praise. Make sure it all comes from our hearts and even the very depth of our souls. When it comes from our hearts and souls, then it is pleasing to Him and will be a sweet sound to His ears. Remember how Paul and Silas praised Him in their prison cells. Everyone heard them! Paul told the Ephesians to teach and encourage each other in praise and worship. David knew that God loved the praises and he did it wholeheartedly. So today I encourage you to love Him, praise Him because He is truly worthy of all of our praises!